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SCUTTLEBUTT 3197 - Wednesday, October 13, 2010Scuttlebutt is published each weekday with the support of its sponsors,providing a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Website: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/scuttbutt Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sailingscuttlebutt RSS: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/rss/index.xml Today's sponsors: JK3, The Pirates Lair, and LaserPerformance. CLEARING THE AIR Dean Brenner, US Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Program Chairman, provides this reply to commentary from John Bertrand in Scuttlebutt 3196: --------------------------------------------------------------------- In Scuttlebutt issue 3196, the lead story was an excerpted blog post with some opinions and statements about the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics, some of our athletes and the new culture we have instituted. While each of us is entitled to our own opinion, we are not entitled to our own facts. And, quite simply, there were several factual inaccuracies that should be corrected. Luke Lawrence is a member of the 2010 US Sailing Development Team. Period. And, as far as we are concerned, he'll be on the team for the remainder of the year unless he chooses to step aside. We think Luke is a great talent, and we hope he'll apply again for the team in 2011. We've never kicked him off the team, we've never asked him to resign, and we've never excluded him from any team meetings, barbecues, or training sessions. The blog post in question made lots of statements about his removal and exclusion from the Team. I was surprised to read that, it was news to me, and I maintain a complete open door policy to chat with any sailor at any time about anything that concerns them. Our Development Team is intended to be a path for young sailors to learn to compete as Olympic athletes. something that Olympic sailing in the USA has been in desperate need of for a long time, and that we are proud to have created. We give them coaching and lots of other kinds of support, and we give them opportunities to train alongside and learn from our top athletes, like Finn Silver Medalist Zach Railey. We look for developing athletes who have the skills and the commitment to be a part of this team, and if they want to take advantage of the opportunity, we welcome them with open arms. If they would rather go their own way, then that's fine also. We'll cheer just as loudly for any athlete who would prefer to follow their own path and who finds a way to win an Olympic medal on their own. If Luke chooses his own path, then that is great. On the other hand, if he wants to take advantage of the opportunities on our Development Team, then that's great also. Either way, we will cheer his success. We believe strongly in the system and culture that we are building on our Development Team and on the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics. We believe that shared training and a collaborative culture is better for everyone. We believe it helps stretch our resources further. We believe it creates a better environment for our sailors. And we believe it creates something that sponsors, donors and fans can embrace. Much more here (and even more when you read between the lines): http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=10652#10652 TSUNAMI TUESDAY - HYDROPTERE RECORD SMASHED! The Luderitz Speed Challenge 2010 is being held October 4 to 31 in Luderitz, Namibia, just over 1100 miles north of Cape Town, SA along the western African continent. This is the 4th edition of the event, which is held under the scrutiny of the World Speed Sailing Record Council (WSSRC) and the International Sailing Federation (ISAF). The challenge is to see who will set the fastest average speed over a 500-meter distance. Here is the latest update: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- (October 12, 2010) - It's official - after today the Hydroptere is no longer the fastest sailing vessel. Its previous record of 51.36 (kts) was broken numerous times today by Kite surfers! 2nd Lagoon Luderitz lived up to all expectations today with many new records being broken. Scores of competitors dramatically improved on their Personal Best sailing speeds and 5 competitors reached 50 knots and more! Winds of around 40 were recorded. The new Speed Channel is proving to be a definite winner for competitors. Once again the organizers of the Luderitz Speed Event have produced record breaking conditions for competitors to be recorded in the Speed Sailing Hall of Fame. We are waiting for speeds to be officiated by the World Speed Sailing Record Council (WRSSC) to officiate these incredible new speed sailing times, which will be released later tonight. We shall share these historical results with you as soon as the WRSCC officiates them! -- Event website: http://luderitz-speed.com/ JK3 PROVIDES NATIONAL BROKERAGE REPRESENTATION In addition to our West Coast presence, JK3 has expanded by participating in national shows such as in Houston, Newport (RI) and Annapolis, resulting in the best month we have had in two years! We are committed to showcasing our world class yachts in the most high profile industry events throughout the country. Last week in Annapolis we had Halsey Herreshoff aboard the elegant Herreshoff 58' ARRLUUK to discuss the history of design that went into the unique yacht. When most are scaling back their presence, JK3 is expanding to ensure we provide the best representation for our clientele. To buy or sell, contact JK3 Nautical Enterprises: http://www.jk3yachts.com GETTING BACK ON CENTER STAGE By John Arndt, Latitude 38 During my recent visit to a sunny, crowded and successful Annapolis boat show I spoke to lots of folks in the sailing industry about the America's Cup. What amazed me most is how many diehard sailors who make their living in sailing had almost no idea about what was going on with the Cup and weren't really interested. Certainly some folks from more race oriented companies had a little better idea about what was going on but, overall, almost nobody knew there was a possibility the Cup could be held in Europe and many, but not all, had some awareness of the catamaran decision. While not interested in the Cup currently, the added realization the America's Cup might be 'defended' in Europe caused any interest to plummet. This combines with the nationality issue. Beyond endless lawsuits and controversy I'd say it's universal that the loss of nationality requirements is one of the main reasons people have lost interest in the Cup. If it were to be held in Europe I think the BMW/Oracle PR team is going to have an almost insurmountable job trying to get the American public and/or American sailors to maintain any interest in the Cup. Finally on the multihull there again seemed to be almost universal dismay amongst past Cup fans, but also more willingness to give it a try. Most sailors have a hard time imagining fast, furious and interesting tactical situations emerging from multihull drag races though most are willing to be proven wrong. Only time will tell. At least, if the Cup is held in San Francisco, the boats will be penned in and they simply won't be able to get too far away from each other. I'd say the Cup is noticeable in most people's peripheral vision but to get back on center stage it's got some real work left to do. The only way that's going to happen for Americans is if the Cup is held in America. Beyond that it would be much better with nationality requirements for the sailors and we'll all just have to hope the catamaran thing works. That's what I heard on the docks in Annapolis and I'd have to agree on all points. Like Craig's commentary (in Scuttlebutt 3196), I'm optimistic it can work and believe we could see a fantastic Cup match on San Francisco Bay that's fun to watch and good for sailors and sailing. On the other hand, if it's not, people may spend less time watching and more time under sail. TOUR TITLE TO BE DECIDED AT FINAL EVENT This week the top 8 teams in the World Match Racing Tour series' standings will be invited to compete in the final tour event - the Monsoon Cup in Malaysia on November 30 - December 5. It has been an epic battle to reach the prestigious season ending finale, spanning 7 months, 8 global events, 42 sailing teams, a further 100 teams from qualifying events and more than 550 world class sailors. There's little time for Ben Ainslie (GBR) Team Origin to reflect on his heroics in the Argo Group Gold Cup as the attention of the world's top sailors turns to the jewel in the crown of the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) where the race to be crowned the ISAF Match Racing World Champion will be decided. If Ainslie and his star-studded crew have been preoccupied by events off the water over the past few weeks, the chance to continue their heroics after Bermuda by snatching the Match Racing World Champion crown and a large slice of the Monsoon Cup's USD475,000 prize money as well as a portion of the USD250,000 Tour Prize Pool would certainly give them some renewed vigour. It's the Brits who have all the momentum going into the decider, with their nearest rivals, current Tour leader Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team and Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing within striking distance. Richard holds a 15 point advantage over Minoprio who takes a mere 2 point lead over Ainslie to Malaysia. With the Monsoon Cup offering 1.5 times more points than a standard WMRT event, the championship is still wide open and the script could not have been written better for what is set to be an exhilarating climax to the year in Terengganu. The Monsoon Cup will see the winner scoop 38 points, with the remaining points breakdown as follows: 30 (2nd), 22 (3rd), 18 (4th), 15 (5th), 12 (6th), 9 (7th), 6 (8th). Full report: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/10/1012/ COMPETITION STRONG AND TALENT RUNS DEEP By Brad Van Liew (USA), Velux 5 Oceans entrant The competition in this (solo) race will be as intense as anything I have faced before. Some have asked me about the number of entries and suggested that fewer boats might equal less intense competition. Not so. The racers that are here in La Rochelle (FRA) appear 100% committed and the talent runs deep. Here's a quick look at the competition I face: Derek Hatfield (CAN) cannot be underestimated as a serious threat, sailing a boat that has previously beaten my Le Pingouin on many occasions. During the 2002-3 Around Alone, Derek's boat (then sailed by Thierry Dubois) smoked Le Pingouin (then sailed by Simone Bianchetti) in every leg of the race. Derek is a man on a mission in his third solo race around the world. He is determined to have a successful voyage following a valiant sail in the Vendee Globe that ended exactly half way around with damage to his rig. Gutek Gutkowski from Poland is determined. He is a strapping strong guy with experience. He ran the ORMA 60 Bonduelle and also served as Watch Captain onboard WARTA-POLPHARMA in The Race, the non-stop race around the world for multihulls. He appears totally determined and would be the first Polish sailor to race solo around the world. He also has a hefty load of inshore racing experience, a strong team on land and a new sponsor. Chris Stanmore-Major (GBR) will be an interesting challenge. He is super focused and intense. Having just finished captaining one of the Clipper Round the World boats, his skin's still wet and his oillies (foul weather gear to those in the US) still smell. That can be an advantage, having been in the offshore mindset so recently for a complete circumnavigation. He is confident and has a strong look of intent, which reminds me a bit of me when I took on my first solo race around in 1998-99. Chris is no underdog though, sailing the champion boat Giovanni Soldini won the race with in 1999. Christophe Bullens (of Belgium) may have been the best prepared of all entries, until the devastating loss of his rig and sails on his way to the start. He completed his qualifying sail before anyone else, and seemed to have ample time training with his boat. With no time to repair the boat he intended to sail, he is faced with looking at other ECO-60 boats end how race-ready they might be. The guy was a tank Commander in the military for eight years and sails 10,000 miles per year, so his boat maybe a wild card, but he appears ready to race. I hope he finds a race boat that he is comfortable and confident racing. So there you have it. My brief and personal look at those that are here to face 30,000 miles at sea alone in the VELUX 5 OCEANS. Some have done it before; others are new to the game. All appear steadfast in their intent to compete hard and win. I'm sure we will learn more as the race gets underway and we are all challenged by the elements. If you have not been checking the race website at www.velux5oceans.com there are some great news stories, photos and videos posted everyday. Cheers and stay tuned as we get closer to Sunday's start. Source: http://tinyurl.com/BVL-101210 GEAR UP FOR YOUR WINTER REGATTA AT THE PIRATES LAIR Get winter pricing on tees, polos, jackets and moisture wicking tees for your event or team. Ask about our new Douglas Gill team and regatta packages and keg sponsorships. Two-Day Ground Shipping anywhere in the US! Call 888-724-5286 or log-on to http://www.pirateslair.com/sailing DETERMINING THE BEST OF THE BEST Twenty of America's best one-design skippers will compete this week in Greenwich, Conn. in Ideal 18s for US SAILING's 2010 Championship of Champions title. All of the competitors have qualified by winning a National and/or North American Championship in a one-design class. Racing starts this Thursday, October 14, at the Indian Harbor Yacht Club and concludes on Saturday, October 16. US SAILING's 2006 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year Jud Smith (Marblehead, Mass.) will be the guest competitor at this year's Championship of Champions. Representing the Etchells class, Smith is no stranger to US SAILING's Championship of Champions. He won the event in 1984 when the championship was sailed in Albacores. A number of other notable class champions will be on hand. Mike Ingham (Rochester, N.Y.), will compete in his sixth Championship of Champions, after winning the Thistle National Championship this summer in La Salle, Mich. He won the event in 2005, which was raced in Flying Scots, and has finished second on three occasions. Alan Field (Los Angeles, Calif.) makes his first return to the Championship of Champions since his win in the 2006 event, which was raced in Y Flyers. Field qualified this year with his win at the Melges 24 National Championships in Newport, R.I. last June. -- Full report: http://media.ussailing.org/Latest_News/2010_C_of_C_Preview.htm REMINDER: And for the winner comes the spoils. "The Bitter End Yacht Club would like to cordially invite the winner of this championship to the upcoming 2010 Pro Am Regatta in the BVI," said event director John Glynn. "We will provide accommodations & meals for the winning skipper and one companion from each event, and entry into the Pro Am, where they will line up with Russell Coutts, Paul Cayard, Ken Read, Peter Holmberg, Anna Tunnicliffe, and Zach Railey." The 2010 Pro Am regatta is Oct. 30-Nov. 6. Contact John Glynn for details: jglynn@beyc.com. Event website: http://www.beyc.com/index.php/proam.html BIG THIS YEAR - BIGGER NEXT YEAR Almeria, Spain (October 12, 2010) - British skipper Paul Campbell-James and his crew on board The Wave, Muscat has won the final event in Almeria of the 2010 Extreme Sailing Series securing overall victory in the 2010 series, beating pre-season favourites Groupe Edmond de Rothschild (Yann Guichard). The racing was action-packed - including a near capsize for Dean Barker and the crew of Team Emirates New Zealand - right up until the last double-points race which, ultimately, decided the victor. Breezy conditions saw the eight boats blast round the tight stadium set inside the port of Almeria in front of the public. It was a spectacular finale that attracted over 38,000 spectators over the four days. The five-event circuit began in May touring Sete (France), Cowes (UK), Kiel (Germany), Trapani (Sicily) and, finally, Almeria (Spain). Paul Campbell-James, the youngest skipper on the circuit at just 27 years old, won the Cowes and Trapani events, and their win here secured them the 2010 Extreme Sailing Series overall title. The fourth season of the Extreme Sailing Series now comes to a close after 130 races, across five European venues, 'stadium' racing in front of tens of thousands of spectators. The 2011 Extreme Sailing Series, one of just four circuits with ISAF's Special Event Status, has already been confirmed with an eight event global circuit across Europe, the USA, the Far East and GCC region. Look for the aspiring America's Cup teams to be brightening the lights significantly on the next year's series Full story: http://tinyurl.com/ESS-101210 SAILING SHORTS *Larchmont, NY (October 12, 2010) - Maine Maritime's sailing team coach Tom Brown decided to pull his team out of all of its dinghy events Columbus Day weekend so that it could instead sail big boats at the Storm Trysail Foundation's Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta (IOR) Presented by Prestige BMW. After driving over eight hours with his 17 athletes, Brown's strategy paid off, as the team won two of five divisions in the 38-boat fleet. Over 300 sailors from 30 schools participated, making the IOR the largest college sailing regatta in the country. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/STC-101210 * Lanzarote, Canary Islands (October 12, 2010) - When competitors on Monday said the winds were going to be light and shifty for Day 2 of the RC 44 World Championship Islas Canarias Puerto Calero Cup, they probably had no idea just how light it would be. Today's schedule for the match racing round robin was thrown into disorder by a cold front that stalled out over Lanzarote, and will now be extended to Wednesday to conclude. The fleet racing segment is scheduled for Thursday through Saturday, with the World Champion to be the combined low point score of both events. Read more here: http://www.rc44.com/en/regattas/news/index.php?idContent=2558 * Chesapeake Bay's tricky tides and currents aren't the only challenges Chicago's Helmut and Evan Jahn will encounter when they defend Flash Gordon's title at the Rolex Farr 40 North Americans this week (Oct. 15-17). The father-son helming combination, which shows consistent command of Flash Gordon's performances on Lake Michigan, where it won last year's North Americans and has claimed this year's Great Lakes Season Championship, will also contend with a groundswell of local knowledge from teams based at or near Annapolis Yacht Club, where the championship will be hosted. -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/10/1012B/ * Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) has appointed leading global manufacturing firm, PERSICO S.p.A., to build its state-of-the-art racing yacht for Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing team to participate in the 2011/12 Volvo Ocean Race. The yacht build has already commenced in PERSICO's dedicated manufacturing facility in Northern Italy, in tandem with works in progress by Farr Yacht Design (USA). Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing expects to take delivery of its Volvo Open 70 in June 2011, for the final training push before the Volvo Ocean Race 2011/12 sets sail on its nine-month, 39,000 mile journey in October from Alicante, Spain. -- Full story: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/10/1012a/ LP BUCKS!!! Take delivery of a new Laser, Sunfish, V15, Bug, Vago or Bahia between September 1st and December 31st and receive an LP BUCKS coupon worth between $200 and $450 to use at the store where the boat was purchased. Go visit your local dealer to take advantage of this great program. More info at: http://www.laserperformance.com/promotions/lp-bucks Sail Legendary LaserPerformance.com GUEST COMMENTARY Scuttlebutt strongly encourages feedback from the Scuttlebutt community. Either submit comments by email or post them on the Forum. Submitted comments chosen to be published in the newsletter are limited to 250 words. Authors may have one published submission per subject, and should save their bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. Email: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Forum (John Tormey): Thank you John Bertrand for creating some interest in Olympic sailing (in Scuttlebutt 3196). For whatever reason, Olympic sailing in the U.S. lives in the shadow of I don't know what. There is only so many ways to get the spotlight to turn your way, and creating a soap opera is very popular these days. Bertrand's complaints about USSTAG likely have some validity, but when is everyone in team sports happy? Plus, what are the odds that Bertrand and team chairman Dean Brenner have become Facebook friends since the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials and the Farrah Hall conflict? Remember that Hall fled to Bertrand following the redress mess, who then helped her retaliate against U.S. SAILING. War wounds heal slowly. -- Forum: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=10653#10653 * From Forum (Joseph Hartwick): Looking for Herreshoff hull #512. This racing yacht was commissioned by J. Rogers Maxwell in 1899. My interest in this boat started when my dad acquired a silver race trophy cup for first place for this boat named at that time "Oiseau" from the Sea Cliff Yacht Club. The second owner was Victor L. Cumnock, and he rechristened the boat "Nike". Mostly I am just curious if this boat still exists somewhere. I would think Herreshoff boats are not casually tossed out when worn like a cheap bass boat. My dad was an avid sailor when he was younger, but at 75 years of age and a brand new replacement shoulder has slowed him up a tick. But getting the history behind his 100 plus year old trophy cup has really brightened up his eyes. So any help you guys can give me as to where this fine old boat is, or what happened to her will be most appreciated! -- Forum: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=10648 POST YOUR BUSINESS UPDATES HERE The Industry News category of the Scuttlebutt Forum provides an opportunity for companies to announce new products and services, with recent postings included in the Thursday edition of the Scuttlebutt newsletter. Here is the link to post Industry News updates: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/INDUSTRY_NEWS_C15/ CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION "Dear God, when we get to heaven, can we sit on your couch? Or is it still the same old story?" - Dog Special thanks to JK3, The Pirates Lair, and LaserPerformance. Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
